Accident
by RosieNich98
Summary: Modern day AU Mericcup short story. Love does not always run smooth. After an argument with Hiccup, Merida leaves him to clear her head – only to end up in a car crash…
1. Chapter 1

_**Part 1**_

The 'ping' of the microwave was what caught her attention. Sighing, Merida pushed herself up off the sofa and headed to the kitchen.

Opening the door, she carefully pulled the macaroni cheese out and scraped it into a bowl, before picking up a fork and walking back to the lounge, her cartoon bear socks scuffling across the carpet.

Picking up the remote, she switched the TV on and settled down to have her tea, often laughing with her mouth full as she watched the antics of the Big Bang Theory characters.

There was a click and a small creek as Hiccup unlocked the door to the flat, taking his coat off and resting his bag on the coat hanger.

His heart leapt as the magical sound of his girlfriend's laughter met his ears. He peered around the door to see her long red curls shaking as she clutched her sides – an empty bowl with a fork in it and cheese sauce around the edges safely sat on the coffee table in front of her.

"Hey there princess." He said, putting his arms on her shoulders.

Merida spun around, and a great grin spread on her face as she stood up to give him a tight hug and a peck on the lips.

"Hi, how was work?" She asked. Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Nothing special…"

Hiccup worked part-time at a large Tesco supermarket - it was not really much fun, but the pay was reasonable and it helped to keep a roof over their heads when put together with Merida's earnings from her job at the Costa café.

"What about you?" Hiccup asked, twirling one of his girlfriend's curls around his finger.

Merida smirked. "I've got a day off."

"_Again_?"

"I have one every week."

"But you've already had it." Hiccup frowned. "Did you…did you _bunk_ _off_ work?"

"Aye, so what if I did?" Merida asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why would you do that…?" Hiccup stepped back a little.

"I was tired!" Merida said. "I didn't feel like going to work, I wanted more sleep, so I called in sick."

"_What_?" Hiccup squeaked. He was a firm believer in hard work, and actively disliked people who could not be bothered to get their hands dirty – and to think Merida was one of them…

However, that did not seem like Merida at all. She was strong willed and always ready to get up and go – this must be one of her off days.

"Anyway, why are _you_ so concerned?" Merida questioned. "It's not like _you_ have to get up at 7 and catch a bus at half seven into town to spend 10 hours cooped up in a tiny building with a bunch of rowdy co-workers and having to eavesdrop on customer's conversations to keep yourself entertained. Especially when all you want to do is run around the outdoors helping others and actually enjoying yourself!"

Hiccup gave a heavy sigh.

Merida's dream was to work with children, and when a job as an outdoors activity instructor at a residential youth camp back in the Highlands came up Merida was over the moon.

However, at the time she was fresh out of university completely broke and could not afford any accommodation that was near there, so she had had to decline the offer.

But…

"At least I actually _go_ to work every day." Hiccup muttered.

"_Excuse me_? Are you saying that I'm _lazy_!?"

"N…actually yes, I _am_." Hiccup glared.

Merida's jaw dropped.

Deep anger surged through Hiccup, and he couldn't stop himself from what he was about to say. "I think you're being completely _selfish_, skipping work so you could _sleep_! One of us is going to have to work overtime to pay for the money you've just lost us!"

"Well why don't you do it?" Merida shot back. "Because I'm apparently too _lazy_ and selfish to do it!"

"Well I'm going to have to aren't I?"

"What _is_ your problem anyway?" Merida hissed. "So I wanted a little more rest – I'm allowed it, I'm only human!"

"But we need the money!" Hiccup protested.

"There are other ways of earning money! I'll go in tomorrow, ok?"

Hiccup huffed, unimpressed.

"Well what else do you want me to do!?" Merida near yelled.

No reply.

"Ugh, I can't believe this…" Merida said quietly. "You're getting all worked up over nothing!"

"Oh am I?" Hiccup scoffed. "I'm not allowed to think realistically? I'm not allowed to worry that we could lose the flat because of this?"

"Oh, _come on_! It's not like it's a big amount of money anyway. Stop overreacting!"

"I'm not overreacting, I just want you to take up some responsibility!" Hiccup snapped.

"I have! You don't have to scold me like I'm some naughty little kid!"

"Well you ought to stop acting like one!"

"How am I acting like a kid?" Merida frowned – but Hiccup remained silent, breaking eye contact with her.

"Fine!" Merida grumbled, putting her shoes on and heading to the door. "I didn't _want_ a nice evening anyway…"

"And where are you going?"

Merida shot a glare at Hiccup. "Out."

Then she left the flat, slamming the door behind her.

XxX

Speeding down the road, Merida's knuckles turned white as she tightened her grip on the steering wheel, muttering angrily.

"Stupid jerk…how dare he say stuff like that to me…I didn't even do anything…"

Stopping at a turning, Merida's mobile buzzed.

Her car wasn't moving, so Merida thought it perfectly safe to check it.

Unlocking her Samsung Galaxy, she found a message from none other than His Lordship himself.

_From: Hiccup_

_Hey, can you come home? We need to talk._

"Not flipping likely!" Merida said through gritted teeth as she flung the phone onto the passenger seat behind her.

Then, she heard a desperate screeching of brakes.

She looked up for a second to see a car swerving towards her.

But before she could do anything, the other car collided with hers and everything went black.

**Hey there! Sorry if Hiccup was a little out of character. This is my first non-KH fanfic on this site (yay) and I hoped you enjoyed it if you like angsty stuff - please stay tuned for part 2 and don't forget to review! :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**_Part 2_**

Hiccup paced anxiously around the room, the rhythmic ticking of the clock being the only sound that he heard.

He glanced up at it – quarter past 8 in the evening. It had been almost two hours since he had sent that text, and without a reply, he was getting worried. Where was she…?

Hiccup knew he had been too harsh with his words, and deeply regretted what he had said to her.

He wanted to apologize, to make everything better – did she?

Then, his mobile buzzed. Someone was calling him.

Hiccup answered with a relieved smile, obviously expecting it to be Merida, but it was not - it was her mother, Elinor.

And what she said wiped that smile off his face.

He hung up quickly before his Blackberry slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor, his eyes widened in shock, his jaw dropped.

He grabbed his coat and flew through the front door, slamming it behind him.

XxX

Hiccup burst through the Intensive Care Unit's doors and ran up to the receptionist.

"Hi, how can I help you?" The elderly woman answered kindly.

Hiccup could hardly get the words out. "I-I'm here to see Merida DunBroch, she was, er, she was brought in earlier…?"

"Ah yes, Merida." The woman instantly recognized the name. "She is in Room 4; go down that corridor and it's the second one on your right."

"Th-Thank you." Hiccup stuttered and rushed off.

He followed her instructions and soon came face-to-face with Elinor and Fergus.

"Hiccup!" Elinor wrapped her arms around him tightly, her face red and puffy from all of her crying. "Oh, my poor sweet boy!"

That was the nice thing about Merida's parents. Ever since he had first met them, 3 years ago, they had instantly taken him under their wing and treated him like their own son – true, they already had three of their own, but Hiccup was special to them.

"Wh-What happened? Where is she?" Hiccup asked, desperate for answers.

"She's in there." Fergus said, pointing to the room behind them. The doctors are still working on her."

"But I don't understand it…" Elinor whispered. "Merida's always been so careful when she's been driving, how could she end up in a car crash…?"

"Well, these things do happen unfortunately…" Fergus put a comforting arm around his wife.

"The text." Hiccup suddenly realized.

"What?" Fergus frowned.

"I…I sent her a text…" Hiccup felt a pang of guilt in his chest and he collapsed onto one of the seats. "_I sent her a **text**_!"

Tears began to stream down his face. "This…this is my fault…she must've answered it while she was driving…a-and that argument…I'm the one who put her here!"

"What argument?"

Hiccup sniffed. "We…we got into a little fight…she left…and I sent her a text because I wanted to clear things up…it's my fault!"

"No, no! Suuussshhh…" Elinor soothed, sitting down next to him. "None of this is your fault, alright? You were concerned, I don't blame you – if anything it was _Merida__'s_ fault for looking at the text while she was in the car in the first place…"

"Ahem, excuse me, sorry for interrupting…" A tall skinny man in a long white coat said as he came through the door. "Are you all here for Merida?"

They nodded.

"Ah, good." The doctor mumbled, adjusting his glasses. "Well, can I ask you to come in here please?"

XxX

Hiccup couldn't believe his eyes.

Merida lay still in her hospital bed, eyes closed and chest rising and falling slowly as she breathed; her long red curls sprawled out all over the pillow.

Hiccup stared at all the tubes and machines connected to her body, it looked unnatural and uncomfortable, he hoped Merida wasn't in any pain…

_How can she be in pain, you idiot? _Hiccup scolded himself. _She's in a coma, she can't feel anything._

"So, how bad are her injuries?" Elinor asked quietly.

"She has at least 3 broken ribs, a fractured wrist and a slight blow to the head." The doctor said in a low tone. "It's nothing too serious, but there could be a possibility of amnesia or short-term paralysis. We may need to keep her in for a few days after she wakes up."

"And when will she…?"

The doctor shook his head sorrowfully. "No-one knows. She could be like this for a day, a week or even a month –"

_Or she could never wake at all…_ Hiccup thought as he wiped his tears away with his sleeve.

He knew this was his fault. He had yelled at her, he had made her leave. _He _had put her here.

And, as much as he desperately wanted, there wasn't anything he could do to change it.

**Hahahaha, Another cliffhanger! I'm so mean…**

**Sorry this is short again, I'll get the last part up soon. **

**I hope you enjoyed it, please stay tuned and don't for get to review! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Part 3 (Finale)_**

A week passed, and Merida's condition seemed to improve every day. By Friday, she was off the life-support and breathing independently and there were not as half as many machines around her anymore, except for a heart monitor.

Nevertheless, that week felt like forever to Hiccup. The days dragged on at such a slow pace for him, a minute felt like an hour and an hour felt like a year.

He spent most of his time at Merida's bedside holding her hand and crying, asking repeatedly for her to wake up. He felt _so_ guilty; if she didn't open her wonderful blue eyes again he'd never forgive himself…

Nurses came and went, friends and family also visited, but Hiccup took no notice of them, drowning himself in his own deep regret.

He didn't know if she could hear him like the nurses had said, but he still spoke to her as much as he could – or rather, sobbed.

"I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry Meri…I – I didn't mean for this to happen, I really didn't!"

There was a knock on the door.

Hiccup didn't see the point in knocking as the door was often open anyway, but he looked up and saw the blurred figures of his friends Jack and Rapunzel through his tears.

"H-Hi guys…" He sniffed, wiping his eyes.

"Hey buddy, how is she?" Jack spoke softly, looking at the broken man before him with a sympathetic face.

"She's ok…we're just waiting…"

"So she hasn't woken up yet?"

Hiccup shook his head, and the tears began falling again.

However, he was a little surprised when Rapunzel threw her arms around him, also on the brink of crying.

"Oh, Hiccup!" She tightened her grip. "Don't worry, she'll be as right as rain soon enough. You know Merida; she won't let something like a coma get in her way, right?"

Hiccup gave a small nod, but buried his face into Rapunzel's shoulder. "B-But it's just so hard! I-I want her to wake up! I WANT HER BACK!" He wailed.

"Suuussshhh, shush, I know sweetheart." Rapunzel soothed. "We all do…it's ok, let it out."

Hiccup only cried more.

Jack joined in the hug. "We're all here for the both of you. Don't worry, Merida will be fine."

"S-sure?"

"Yes, of course!"

The three then sat there for a while, talking about some of their best memories of Merida, with Rapunzel even talking to her - and Hiccup smiled and laughed for the first time since before the accident.

Then the couple stood up to leave. Jack looked at his friend. "We're going out to the pub, want to come?"

"No thanks, I'll stay here…" Hiccup whispered.

Jack nodded in understanding. "Well, if anything happens, don't forget to call."

XxX

Hiccup had fallen asleep with his head on the side of her bed, his hand tightly holding hers – and he was woken up by a faint groan and a twitch of her hand. He looked up immediately to see her eyelids moving.

Merida's head throbbed, and she ached all over. She was lying in a bed, but it wasn't as soft or comfy as the one she and her boyfriend shared at home. The sheets were thin and tightly wrapped around her body, and she could hear a heart monitor beeping…

She didn't have a clue what was going on or where she was. The last thing she remembered was being in her car and then another car –

"Merida? Can you hear me?"

Who was that? She recognized the voice, but couldn't quite remember whom it belonged to.

She opened her eyes slowly, and that same voice called out to her through the blur, and the face of a young man with short dark brown hair and moist green eyes crying tears of joy came into focus.

A small smirk came on her face - she knew who that was.

"M-Merida! You're awake!" Hiccup cried, his face now glowing with pure happiness. "You're alright, you're alright!"

"Hiccup…" Merida whispered.

Hiccup blinked, looking at her. "Yes?"

He froze as Merida pushed herself up and kissed him tenderly, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into the warmest embrace. "It's ok, I forgive you…"

"Wh-What?"

"You didn't have to cry so much!" She gave him a knowing smile. "And it was nice to hear Jack and Punzie too, and to hear your cute laugh again."

"You heard me…?" Hiccup blinked.

"Every word." She buried her head into his shoulder and nuzzled his neck. "I didn't know what was happening, I couldn't feel or see anything, all I heard was voices – and machines."

"Am I really forgiven…?" Hiccup said quietly.

"You didn't really do anything! It was my fault for looking at that blasted phone…Hiccup; can _you_ forgive _me_ for doing such a thing?"

"Of course. I'm just so glad to see you like this, I thought you'd never wake up and –"

"What makes you think I would ever leave you?" Merida giggled.

Hiccup smiled. "Come here…"

He leaned in close and gently pressed his lips against hers.

They were together again, and now they would never be apart.

**~The End~**

**Well there you go! **

**Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. You can leave a review if you like, I do love to read what you all think. **

**Thank you, and see you again soon! :D**


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